


freebat fics

by georgiehensley



Category: DC Extended Universe, Shazam (2018), Shazam (Comics)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Merpeople, Alternate Universe - Rise of the Guardians Fusion, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Carrying, Cosplay, Crossdressing, Established Relationship, First Kiss, First Meetings, Hurt/Comfort, Jealousy, M/M, Nightmares, Post-Canon, Pre-Slash, Sharing Clothes, Sleepy Cuddles, Slow Dancing, Superpowers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-09-04
Updated: 2019-04-10
Packaged: 2019-07-06 17:32:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 11
Words: 5,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15890751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/georgiehensley/pseuds/georgiehensley
Summary: a collection of fics for billy/freddy. inspired by the upcoming 2019 film.





	1. nightmares; hurt/comfort

**Author's Note:**

> after just one trailer, i already love these boys a lot, so i've written some fics for them. rather than post them all separately, i'm putting them here. enjoy!
> 
> (also, these'll mostly focus on billy-as-billy and freddy. there'll be no shazam & freddy weirdness, don't worry. just some cute teen boys being cute teen boyfriends.)

it's dark and cold as billy lies in the snow, powerless. it's an all too familiar moment, as the same thing occurred during billy’s fight with sivana at the holiday festival. this time, though, billy doesn't recognize his foe - a monster of a man with a suit just like his own, only in black.

standing above him, the man laughs.

“i can't believe the wizard picked a  _ child _ to take on his powers,” the man says, shaking his head. “it never amazes me how  _ desperate _ he can be.”

“i am  **not** a kid,” billy argues, lifting his head, but it takes an effort - he feels so sore and weak. the man laughs again, mocking him.

“you certainly look like one,” he says with a teasing smile. inside, billy fumes. he wants to say the word, shout it at the top of his lungs, but a voice in the back of his mind says that he can't, that it wouldn't work. somehow, someway, in the presence of this man, he’s completely powerless.

“oh, billy,” the man says, and billy feels himself panicking even before the man can go into his evil monologue.

“h-how do you know my name?”

“billy,” the man says again, shaking his head as he repeats the name several times. “billy, billy, billy…”

“BILLY!”

billy screams, finding himself in his bedroom, in his bed, in his pajamas. his heart still races, the dream feeling so real. he turns his head, only to see freddy’s head right next to him.

“freddy,” billy says as he attempts to catch his breath. “what are you doing?”

“i was up reading a batman comic and i heard whimpering,” freddy explains. “are you okay?”

“yeah, sorta.”

“nightmare about sivana?”

“no, i-it was someone else. he has the same powers as me, but his suit is black. i didn't catch his name.”

“well, it's just a dream, right? you must have just thought him up. you know, a true rival to,” freddy brings his voice down to a whisper. “ _ shazam _ .”

“yeah, i guess,” billy says, before remembering that he sleeps in a bunk bed now, and that freddy’s standing next to him, when he should be in the bottom bunk… “how are you up here?”

“oh, i grabbed the desk chair and hopped up on it,” freddy explains. “i wanted to make sure you were okay. and i couldn't read with all the noise.” billy laughs softly.

“well, i’m fine now, thank you,” he says. “just needed a reality check, i guess.”

“you sure? i don't want you to go right back into that into that nightmare and feel all scared again--”

“freddy, are you trying to ask me something?”

“well, if i learned anything living with the vazquez’s, it's that we always are there for each other in times of need.”

“so?”

freddy bites his lip. “i can lay up here with you to keep you from having a nightmare again?”

“is that a statement or a question?”

“both.”

billy sighs, but smiles, shaking his head. he scoots over on the bed, closer to the wall.

“alright. can you get up here on your own or do you need help?”

“i think i got it,” freddy says, placing his hands on the bedspread and pushing. he turns just as he’s high enough to swing his legs over the side and onto the mattress.

“wow,” billy comments. “you’re really strong.”

“comics give you super strength,” freddy says, and billy laughs.

“goodnight, freddy.”

“‘night billy!”

it’s not too long later that billy falls back asleep, freddy still lying awake, itching to grab a comic book, though knowing that the light from his reading lamp would wake his friend. instead, he resigns to lying in silence, only to hear billy whimpering again just a few moments later. feeling bad, freddy sighs, reaching to nudge billy awake before hesitating, his hand frozen mid-air. he changes his mind and instead decides to scoot in closer, sliding his arm around billy’s waist.

“it’s okay, billy,” he whispers, despite not believing billy could hear him. “i’m here. you're safe.” billy sniffs and turns onto his other side, facing freddy. the other boy’s breath hitches as their close proximity, feeling the heat of billy’s breath against his cheeks.

“thanks, freddy,” billy whispers, not so asleep after all. freddy opens his mouth to speak, but says nothing. billy opens his eyes for a moment, catching his expression, and smirks.

“‘night,” he says again. freddy swallows.

“goodnight.”


	2. soulmate au

billy batson was born with with a lightning bolt on his chest. not the bright, yellow one of his supersuit, but a small, black one permanently tattooed in the center of his chest. 

it's his soulmark - everyone has one. well, almost everyone - some are born without a soulmark, but that's not the point of this story.

a person's soulmate will have a matching soulmark somewhere on their body, usually in the same location. some find their soulmate at a young age, some are much older, and a rare few never meet their soulmate.

billy’s fourteen years old and he’s yet to meet his soulmate. his constant cycling through foster homes has him convinced that he'll never meet them, or that no one out there shares his same soulmark.

and then he’s set to live with the vazquez family, and something feels… different. his chest feels warm in a way he’s never experienced before. he’s led on a tour around the house, but something within him is pulling him towards the staircase, telling him to go upstairs. he’s able to, eventually, meeting all the kids in the family, going to the room that’ll be his last.

he steps inside and sees a dark, curly head of hair, and his heart skips a beat. the head turns around and reveals billy’s roommate, freddy, who sports an aquaman t-shirt because of  _ course _ billy has to be drawn to someone who’s obsessed with superheroes. (the universe really is out to get him.) freddy smiles, sticking out his hand, and billy feels that warmth spread throughout his entire body. he shakes freddy’s hand and something inside him just screams  _ soulmate _ , even if he can't see freddy’s soulmark. freddy must realize it too, because when they pull out of the handshake, he says,

“woah.”

billy just nods.

“lightning bolt?” freddy asks.

another nod.

“where is it?”

billy touches his chest with the hand not holding onto his backpack. freddy smiles.

“mine too,” he says. “this is gonna be fun!”

“yeah,” billy says, finally finding his voice, heart still beating fast due to the excitement of it all. “so much fun.”


	3. slow dancing

in his natural, teenaged form, billy’s powerless.

well….  _mostly_.

he still has his powers, but they’re much weaker than they are when he goes into full hero mode. the wisdom is only enough to help him study and do well on tests. flight so he can levitate a few feet off the ground. electricity so his phone is always charged whenever it’s in his hands.

and so on.

it’s easy to forget these smaller abilities of his when he’s in his teen form.

so, on a rainy day, when billy’s bored and decides to turn some music on, asking freddy to dance, freddy snorts.

“yeah, sure,” he says. “a disabled kid dancing. you’re funny, billy.”

“i’m serious,” billy says, jumping down from his top bunk with a loud  _thud_. he walks over to where freddy sits at his desk, back turned, and stands next to him. “it’ll be fun.”

“hmm,” is freddy’s response. billy huffs out a sigh, stepping back towards their bed and grabbing his phone, turning the volume up so that the slow, sweet melodies fill the room. freddy continues to ignore him, only to find himself pulled out of his chair and into billy’s arms.

“billy, i told you–” he starts to say, but stops himself. he can feel the floor beneath his bare feet, but he doesn’t feel the gravity that usually goes along with it, weighing him down. he almost feels… weightless. and suddenly, he’s more aware of how both of billy’s arms are wrapped around his waist.

“what are you doing?” freddy asks.

“slow dancing,” billy answers. “it’s a thing that couples do. it’s supposed to be–”

“no, i know, but… how are you lifting me up right now?”

billy laughs. “i’m still strong when i’m not in hero form. not  _as_  strong, but strong enough to do this.” he pulls freddy closer, lifting him so that he stands on top of billy’s feet. freddy snorts in response.

“dork.”

“i’m trying to be romantic.”

“i know. still a dork, though.”

billy laughs, and the two fall silent as billy starts to sway to the music. after a while, he hums along to the song, and freddy feels the vibrations as he rests his head against billy’s shoulder.

“you have a pretty voice,” freddy says. billy giggles.

“thank you.”

“i love having a strong, talented, super boyfriend.”

billy smiles. “aw, i love you too.”

freddy giggles and lifts his head, leaning in and kissing his strong, talented, super boyfriend.


	4. merpeople au

there are rumors throughout the ocean, rumors of a creature with powers one could only dream of - strength, wisdom, electricity, speed, immunity, and bravery. many say the creature lives in a cave somewhere out in the middle of nowhere, far away from any undersea villages or kingdoms. though the powers are inticing, many fear this creature, and thus never dare to go searching for it.

freddy is not one of those people. he’s just too curious, having a hidden collection back home of knick knacks and trinkets from the human world. it’s all too tempting for him to set out on a journey alone in search of this mysterious creature.

after many days of swimming, just when his tail is about to give out, freddy finds it - the cave he’s been searching for. or, at least, he hopes it’s that cave.

“hello?” he calls out as he swims towards it, hesitant but excited. “is anyone here?” he ducks inside, finding the cave scarily dark. he hears shuffling and tries again. “hello?”

suddenly, a jellyfish lights up, and freddy startles. the rumors that swirled around spoke of an elderly man who’s loomed inside the cave for decades, but instead freddy finds a man - a younger but not  _young_  young, but still very fit and attractive - man in his place.

“oh my gosh!” the man says excitedly. “you found me! someone found me!” he swims forward and pulls freddy in his arms, hugging him as he spins them in a circle. “it’s been so long!”

“can’t breathe,” freddy mumbles against his chest, and the man lets go.

“sorry,” he mumbles. “sometimes i forget my own strength. oh, crap, you’re  _my_  age, wait–” freddy opens his mouth to correct him - he’s only fourteen whereas this man is  _definitely_ , like, thirty-something - but the man speaks before he can, shouting a word freddy’s never heard before…

“ _ **shazam!**_ ”

light floods the cave for a brief moment before freddy can see again, and instead of that man, freddy finds a boy around his age floating in front of him instead.

“what just happened?” he asks.

“my powers are activated by that word,” the boy says. “they turn me into an adult, but i’m really a teen, like you.”

“powers?” freddy asks. “so you are a witch?”

“a witch? is that why people are scared of me? no, a sea wizard gave me these powers - they’re meant for good, not bad.”

“like, a superhero?” freddy asks. “like king arthur?”

“yeah,” the boy says, smiling, and freddy suddenly finds himself thinking that this version of the guy is just as, if not more, adorable as his adult counterpart.

“i’m freddy,” he says, sticking his hand out. the boy grins.

“billy,” he says, shaking freddy’s hand. freddy shuts his eyes for a moment, fearing an electric shock that never comes. he opens them to find billy laughing.

“the powers only come out when i say the word,” he explains.

“oh, right,” freddy says. “sorry.”

“it’s cool.”

“you wanna come back home with me? i-i know they’re all scared of you, but if they knew you were young like me, maybe they’d be nicer.”

billy smiles. “yes! yes, i’d like that a lot.”

freddy smiles back and sticks his hand out again. billy takes it, and together they swim back to the kingdom.


	5. cosplay/crossdressing

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> don't let the "crossdressing" label/tag bother you - this just features freddy dressing as a certain female member of the league.

“freddy, are you ready to g-- _ what the fuck? _ ”

freddy jumps at the sound of billy’s voice, turning to glance over his shoulder towards where the other boy stands in the doorway, slack-jawed.

“it’s not what it looks like!” freddy says, hands coming up to tug at his skirt in an attempt to make it longer.

“well, i’m not one to judge,” billy says. “you do you, dude. i fly around in a skintight bright red suit all the time, so if you wanna wear dresses, that's fine.”

“b-but i-i don't--” freddy starts, and sighs. he runs a hand through his hair, and as he thinks about his word choice, billy steps into the room, shutting the door behind him.

“it’s for my costume.”

“your… costume?”

“halloween costume. next month? i dress up as a superhero every year, but there are only so many members of the league, so, this year it's wonder woman.”

billy’s silent for a moment, before he snorts, unable to stop himself from breaking out into full-on laughter.

“hey!” freddy says.

“sorry,” billy says, calming down, wiping a tear from his eye. “i just didn't think you’d resort to that. and isn’t that skirt just a  _ little _ bit too short?”

“i think it's supposed to be this short. or at least, that's how it was shown on the package. maybe i grabbed it from the wrong section.”

“yeah, i think so. that skirt looks like ‘sexy’ wonder woman to me.”

“you calling me sexy?”

billy snorts again.

“ _ no _ . it's just shorter than her actual skirt.”

“oh, right, ‘cause you actually know wonder woman.”

“di-- _ wonder woman _ wouldn't wear something that short. it's not practical.”

freddy sighs. “fine. guess i’ll return it.”

“no, you can keep it, if you want. just… be careful? don't let yourself hang out, if you know what i mean,” freddy winces. “and, uh, shave your legs. it’ll be more convincing.”

“borrowing mary’s razor. that sounds fun.”

“hey, you can always dress up as me.”

“i don’t think they have that costume.”

“just use my suit.”

“i didn't think it came off. i thought it was, like, attached to you or something. and it's really big?"

“fine,” billy says. “be sexy wonder woman. but if anyone gives you any weird looks, they’ll have  _ me _ to deal with.” freddy giggles, and billy smiles.


	6. soulmate au 2.0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> different soulmate au, this time one where you see color once you meet your soulmate. guess i just like writing different versions of their first meeting if they were soulmates (which they totally are, okay).

billy knows something is up as soon as he walks into the house. there’s just something  _different_  about the way it looks. like, it’s not totally black and white anymore. there’s a warmth to the walls and the lights and the floor that billy can’t describe because he just doesn’t have the  _words_  for it. he meets each member of the vazquez family that greets him downstairs but something inside of him is pulling him in the direction of the staircase.

when he starts to head in that direction after what seemed like all the introductions had been made, he’s stopped by his new foster sister - mary, he remembers. she only smiles at him, seeming like she knows something he doesn’t.

“your room’s the third door on the right,” she supplies. billy nods and continues up the stairs.

his heart pounds with each step he takes, getting closer and closer to his new bedroom. the world feels like it’s getting brighter and brighter around him. he almost feels dizzy.

the door is shut, but he doesn’t knock, just turning the knob and opening it. there’s a boy in the room with his back turned, sitting at a big wooden desk.

“hello?” billy asks, and the boy turns to look at him.

billy world is suddenly filled with color, so much that it hurts his eyes. he stumbles back but manages to steady himself. he clutches the doorframe when he leans back into the room, and sees the other boy gripping onto his desk.

“did that just–?” he asks, unable to finish his question. billy nods.

“yeah,” he says breathlessly. he walks into the room, and it feels like he’s entering a parallel universe, one filled with all the colors he could only dream of. the boy stands when billy walks towards his desk, still leaning against the furniture to support his weight.

“i’m freddy,” he says, sticking his free hand out. “freddy freeman.”

“billy batson,” billy shakes his hand. his gaze falls onto the crutch leaning against the side of the desk. “that yours?”

“yeah,” freddy says, his shoulders sagging as he grabs it, shifting his weight from the desk to his crutch. “sorry you’ve got yourself a disabled soulmate.” billy shrugs.

“doesn’t matter.”

freddy smiles. “good.”


	7. sharing clothes

“good morning,” billy says, yawning as he sits down at the dining room table for breakfast. mrs. vazquez leaves a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast in front of him while trying to stifle a smile. eugene and pedro also share knowing looks, hiding their smiles as they dig into their own breakfasts.

billy brings a fork full of scrambled egg up to his mouth and chews. when he swallows, he asks, “darla, could you pass the milk?”

“sure, billy,” darla says, giggling softly as she hands billy the milk carton. billy raises his eyebrows but receives no further comment from darla. he pours some milk into his glass.

“‘morning, everyone,” mary says as she glides into the room, settling down in her usual spot. as mrs. vazquez serves her, mary looks over at billy and snorts.

“nice shirt, billy,” she says. again, billy is clueless as to what she’s talking about. before he can even get a chance to comment, freddy walks into the room in batman pajama pants - and billy’s red sweatshirt.

“hey,” he says and yawns. the other foster kids look from billy to freddy and back.

“i really don’t wanna know what happened in there last night,” mary comments.

“what the hell are you–?” billy begins to ask, before he looks down at the shirt he’d thrown on without thinking the night before, and the sweatshirt he remembers freddy had asked to borrow when he complained he was cold. billy’s cheeks turn red. “guys, it’s not what it looks like–”

“you swapped clothes!” darla says excitedly. “maybe we should all do a switcheroo day!” mary snorts again. billy looks across the table at freddy, who’s mindlessly eating his own breakfast. billy lightly nudges him with his foot under the table. freddy lifts his gaze to meet his. he swallows his food.

“we were just tired last night,” he explains. “or, billy was, you know,” he brings his voice down to a whisper, “superhero-ing and all. and i just got cold, so billy let me borrow his sweatshirt.”

“aw, you couldn’t cuddle for warmth?” mary teases. billy rolls his eyes.

“shut up,” he says. mary giggles.

“alright, we believe you,” she says. “just try opening with that next time.”

“will do,” billy says while freddy nods.

~

“god, that was embarrassing,” billy says once he and freddy are back in their bedroom after breakfast.

“yeah,” freddy says. “what did they think we were up to last night?” billy laughs.

“i don’t know,” he says. “adult stuff.” freddy blushes.

“oh,” he says. billy shakes his head.

“you do look cute in my sweatshirt, though,” he says, taking a step closer. freddy smiles.

“and my superman shirt looks cute on  _you_ ,” he says back. “it brings out your eyes.” billy giggles.

“thanks,” he says and kisses freddy on the cheek. “should i wear it for the rest of the day?”

“sure,” freddy says. “hopefully no one thinks that superman is your boyfriend.” billy laughs.

“oh, trust me. they won’t.”


	8. first kiss

it’s early in the morning when billy returns to his and freddy’s room. the sun is just peeking over the horizon, turning the sky into a blend of oranges, pinks, and yellows. billy squeezes through the open window that freddy had left for him, though the gap seems to be smaller and smaller each time he returns home. (is he magically gaining more muscle?) his gaze falls onto freddy’s sleeping form and he takes a deep breath, shutting his eyes and wishing for the lightning to be just as quiet as he softly whispers, “shazam.” the bolt strikes through the opening of the window, keeping the rest of the room intact as billy turns back into his regular self. (he wouldn’t dare make that mistake twice.) he still hears the crack of the lightning as it strikes into the room and he mentally curses out the gods for not being more quiet.

“billy?” freddy says sleepily, yawning and rubbing his eyes as he rolls over to face his roommate. “is that you?” billy’s heart starts to race as he looks at freddy, his curls all mussed up, voice deeper and raspy from hours of not being used. billy forces himself to look away, turning and returning to the window to close it.

“yeah,” he says, voice soft. he shivers as the motion of shutting the window sends a small puff of wind in his direction, the chilly early spring air raising goosebumps on his skin. he turns back towards freddy, unable to stop himself from smiling as he notices the pile of blankets freddy’s managed to bury himself under. “it’s me. i’m home now. go back to sleep.”

“okay,” freddy says. “did you fight any bad guys?” billy laughs.

“no,” he says, walking towards the ladder and climbing up to his bunk, not even bothering to change out of the streetclothes he still wears from the previous day. “it was a pretty quiet night, actually. helped a woman not get her purse stolen.” freddy yawns.

“good for you,” he says. billy smiles. a silence falls over the room and billy assumes freddy’s drifted off again. he shuts his own eyes and takes a deep breath in an attempt to relax.

“billy?” freddy asks a few moments later.

“yeah?”

“c-can you sleep with me?”

billy’s heart beats faster again. the last time he’d slept with freddy in his bunk, it was after a bad beating from those two jerks at school. billy only laid with freddy because he’d helped tend to his wounds and freddy needed the comfort. but freddy wasn’t hurt now, was he?

“sure,” billy says. he could never say no to freddy. he rolls over and climbs back down the ladder. freddy already made space for him on his bunk, so billy lays down next to him. freddy throws an arm around his waist, resting his head atop billy’s shoulder.

“goodnight, billy,” he says, eyes shut. billy swallows.

“‘night.”

again, they’re quiet for a few moments, until freddy picks his head up and says, “you’re heart’s beating really fast. is something wrong?”

“no,” billy says, his voice cracking.  _freakin’ puberty._  “i’m fine. promise.”

“did something happen last night?” freddy asks, sensing billy’s lie. “did i do something?”

“no,” billy says a little too quickly. “i’m fine. really.” freddy sighs.

“ _billy_ –”

“i like you, okay?” billy finally slaps. freddy’s eyes widen at that. billy avoids his gaze, looking down at the comforter. “gosh, do you have the lasso of truth hidden here or something?”

“why didn’t you just tell me?”

“‘cause you don’t like me back.”

freddy laughs. “you’re an idiot.”

billy lifts his head up. “what–?”

his words are cut off by freddy leaning forward and kissing him on the lips, his hands clutching onto the collar of billy’s red sweatshirt. billy blinks a few times in shock, and his hands hover in midair before settling on freddy’s back as he returns the kiss. they part a few moments later.

“so you like me too?” billy asks sheepishly.

“duh!” freddy says. “i have for a while. even on your first day, i was, like, trying to impress you and stuff. and then you became a superhero who was  _way_  cooler than me, so i stopped trying, but, yeah. i like you a lot. and not just because of the superhero thing.” billy laughs. suddenly, freddy yawns again.

“can we go back to sleep now?” he asks. billy smiles.

“yeah,” he says. he lays back down and freddy joins him, resting his head against his shoulder and wrapping an arm around his waist just like before.

“goodnight, billy,” freddy says again. billy turns his head and brushes a kiss against freddy’s forehead.

“goodnight, freddy,” he says. freddy smiles and slides in closer. the two fall asleep not too long later, both with smiles on their faces.


	9. “you can’t run so it’ll be faster if I just carry you”

dr. sivana is after them, and he’s close to catching up to them. everyone’s trying to run as fast as they can. mary’s picked darla up so her shorter legs won’t slow then down. pedro and eugene try and match her pace. even freddy hobbles along as best he can, but as billy keeps up with the others, he can see freddy falling behind.

he says nothing as he suddenly comes to a stop. freddy catches up to him and briefly sends him a confused look.

“you can’t run, so it’ll be faster if i carry you,” billy explains.

“okay,” freddy says in response. billy speeds them ahead of their foster siblings, stopping for a second time only to let the others catch up and make sure sivana hasn’t found them yet. he puts freddy back down as he thinks of their next move. freddy feels himself starting to blush, having just been carried bridal-style by a superhero like all the female love interests in the comic books he’s read. he doesn’t have time to dwell on the thought, though, as he realizes everyone’s walked ahead of him and he has to catch up. billy glances back at him over his shoulder and freddy shakes his head. he can do this on his own this time. (though he didn’t really mind being in the arms of a superhero, even if it was for just a few seconds.)


	10. “who was that? oh… your cousin…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> altered the prompt a little so rather than billy meeting with his cousin, it's actually someone he used to room with at a former foster home. the OC doesn't really appear, but i've casted him as asher's andi mack costar luke mullen bc i can :)

it’s weird for freddy to go a whole school day without seeing billy. well, not that he didn’t see him at  _all_ , they do live together, but billy didn’t meet up with freddy between classes, and he was completely absent from lunch. freddy doesn’t want to conclude that it was something shazam-related, as an appearance by him is the talk of the school and freddy’s heard nothing about him, so now he’s just left feeling confused.

until he walks out of the school, meeting back up with darla, mary, eugene, and pedro. in the sea of students exiting the building, hanging out with friends, or waiting for a ride, freddy spots billy’s signature bright red sweatshirt. he smiles, starts to walk over, until he sees billy talking and laughing with another boy, a blond boy, and freddy comes to a sudden stop. he sighs, his hand squeezing the handle on his crutch as he turns around and returns to his foster siblings.

“is everything okay?” mary asks as she notices the serious look on freddy’s face and the way his breathing’s become deeper and faster.

“huh?” freddy asks, snapping out of his thoughts about billy and that boy. “oh, yeah, i-i’m fine.” mary nods but still has her suspicions. she opens her mouth to push further, but billy appears at freddy’s side, an arm thrown over his shoulder.

“hey, guys,” he says, smiling so bright he could almost compete with the sun. freddy glances away from him and billy notices, his smile falling.

“is something wrong?” he asks. freddy sighs.

“where were you?” he snaps back, turning towards billy. “i haven’t seen you all day!”

“i’m sorry,” billy says. “i was hanging out with jason–”

“and  _who_  is  _jason?_ ”

the corners of billy’s mouth slowly start to curl up in a smile. “are you jealous?”

“no!” freddy says. his cheeks start to turn red. billy shakes his head.

“relax,” he says. “he’s just a friend, i promise. he lived with me in a foster home a few years ago. we haven’t seen each other since, so we were just catching up.”

“ _oh_ ,” freddy says. “sorry.”

“it’s okay,” billy says. “maybe i’ll introduce you two sometime tomorrow.” freddy smiles.

“okay.”

“shall we get going?” mary asks. billy and freddy nod.

as the six of them start to head back home, billy reaches over and grabs freddy’s free hand, giving it a squeeze. freddy glances over at him and smiles, squeezing back.


	11. rotg au

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> basically billy is jack frost and freddy is jamie bennett. sorry the shazamily is a little ooc.

“freddy, you gotta stop reading all these fantasy books,” mary says, grabbing the  _ expert’s guide to mythical creatures _ book out of freddy’s hands as the foster kids return home from school. freddy stops in his tracks, heart racing as watches mary walk off with it. “there’s no such thing as the easter bunny, or any of those other creatures.”

“hey! they're all real!” freddy argues. “the proof’s right there on paper!”

“anyone could hide colorful eggs in their yard,” eugene says, not even looking up from his nintendo ds as he walks up the steps to the front door. “it doesn't prove the existence of an anthropomorphic rabbit.”

“even i know he's not real,” darla says. “how could a little bunny carry so many eggs?”

“so what are you gonna do with that book, huh? throw it out?” freddy asks as his foster siblings all step into the house, leaving him alone outside. 

“i think i’ll just put it on a very high shelf,” mary says with a smirk before the door shuts behind her.

“i’ll prove it to you!” freddy calls out to them. “the easter bunny  _ is _ real! so’s santa claus, and the tooth fairy, a-and--” a icy breeze blows against his exposed skin, cutting into his thoughts. his eyes widen and his voice drops to a soft whisper, “jack frost.”

“i tend to go by billy these days,” a voice says from somewhere behind him. freddy follows the sound, turning towards the fence where a boy just around his age with pale skin and white hair sits, his bare feet dangling in the air. all he wears is a sweatshirt and pants to keep protected protected from the winter air. a brown, wooden staff is propped against the fence by his feet.

“jack frost,” freddy says again, his entire body motionless as he takes in the sight of this strange boy.

“i wish people would learn my real name, though,” the boy continues as is he hadn't even heard freddy. “it’s been so long since i heard anyone call me that--” suddenly he stops, glancing over at freddy, finding him to be staring in his direction. “what?”

freddy remains silent. 

the boy, billy, gracefully jumps down from the fence, grabbing his staff and crossing the yard, his bare feet leaving tracks in the snow. once he’s in front of freddy, he waves a hand in front of his face, snaps his fingers. freddy blinks.

“can you see me?” billy asks, voice soft. freddy nods. billy’s eyes widen. “a-and you can hear me?” freddy nods again. billy smiles, his mouth falling open, a small cheer of glee and shock slipping out.

“ _ you believe in me.. _ .”


End file.
